Miss the registration window and no score can save you. Here's when registration opens, when the test sits, and when results arrive in every major 11+ region — with the one deadline every family shares: 31 October.
Whatever your region, the rhythm is the same: register in early summer of Year 5, sit the test in September of Year 6, results in October, then submit your Common Application Form (CAF) to the local authority by 31 October. National Offer Day is 1 March. The table below shows how each region fills in that skeleton.
| Region / consortium | Registration window | Test date | Results | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kent (PESE) | Late May – early July (Year 5) | Early September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Medway | May – June (Year 5) | September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Buckinghamshire | Opt-out system — no registration for Bucks pupils; out-of-county register by June | Mid-September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Essex (CSSE) | May – mid-July (Year 5) | Second half of September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Birmingham consortium | May – end of June (Year 5) | Mid-September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Sutton (SET) | May – early August (Year 5) | First stage mid-September; second stage October | After stage 2 | Read guide → |
| Trafford | May – June (Year 5) | Early September – October (varies by school) | October | Read guide → |
| Wirral | May – June (Year 5) | Early September (Year 6) | October | Read guide → |
| Lincolnshire | May – June (Year 5) | September (Year 6) | Early October | Read guide → |
| Slough & Reading | May – June (Year 5) | Mid-September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
| Yorkshire (Ripon, Skipton, Calderdale) | Varies by school — typically May – September | September – October (Year 6) | October | Read guide → |
| Gloucestershire (Pate's) | May – June (Year 5) | Mid-September (Year 6) | Mid-October | Read guide → |
A September Year 6 test means the effective preparation window is Year 5. Most successful families follow this arc: build reading and tables through Year 4, start structured worksheet practice at the start of Year 5, add a weekly timed mock from Easter, and switch to centre-specific papers for the final six weeks. Our year-by-year plan maps the whole journey.
For most regions, registration opens in May of Year 5 and closes between mid-June and mid-July. This is separate from the Common Application Form — you must do both. Registration is usually via the local authority or school website.
Almost all grammar-school 11+ tests are sat in the first three weeks of September of Year 6, roughly a year before the child starts secondary school. Sutton, Tiffin and other super-selectives run a second stage in October.
Most regions release results in mid-October of Year 6 — deliberately before the 31 October secondary application deadline so families can make an informed choice.
The Common Application Form (your ranked list of secondary schools) must be submitted to your local authority by 31 October of Year 6, in every English region. National Offer Day is 1 March.